[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

# Thoughts on MOO/VRML

- Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 17:33:53 PST
- From:
- Cc: moo-cows@parc.xerox.com
- Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
- In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.89.9602171457.B19136-0100000@Menudo.UH.EDU> from "J.M." at Feb 17, 96 01:07:35 pm

    >As one who participates in running an educational MOO, I see uses
    >for the combination of VRML and MOO that other wizzen might not be
    >interested in.  If you are teaching a biology class, it will be very
    >helpful to have a 3-D model of the heart or or organ. [...]

    There was recently a lot of discussion about how it would be difficult (or
    at least, slow) to have the MOO serve lots of images and/or
    [VRML] descriptions of 3D scenarios.  Until everybody has high-speed Ethernet
    to the home, my naive suggestion is to send the user, either bundled with the
    client software or else in a single (compressed) file upon their first
    connection, all the relevant images, sounds, etc. at once.  That is, cache
    them all from the beginning, and then simply have the MOO send a text command
    instructing which multimedia item should be used and how.  One could easily
    imagine a client coming with its own (large) database of images, and then
    have each MOO reference this (somewhat standardized) collection, perhaps
    through an out-of-band command command like
       #$# display image heart3D.gif

    This scheme would be particularly appropriate for an educational MOO.  When
    a user starts a `course,' have him/her download all the relevant images and
    other supporting data at the beginning, rather than be encumbered by a need
    to wait for the binary data to arrive each time.  Presumably all these
    things would be ready long before the `semester' starts.  Updates could be
    downloaded when necessary.  The nice thing is, it would all happen locally,
    rather than over the frequently lagging network (vaguely like Java).
    [Obviously, none of this works very well in a completely dynamic environment,
    where everyone is constantly creating/modifying/destroying works of art, but
    I think it could definitely be done for an educational MOO.]

    michael

Follow-Ups:

- Re: Thoughts on MOO/VRML

- From: Graeme Smith <grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca>

References:

- Re: MOO and VRML 2.0 ?

- From: "J.M." <gsswky@menudo.uh.edu>

- Prev: Re: That numeric verb thing again.
- Next: Re: Thoughts on MOO/VRML
- Index: MOO-cows
- Thread: MOO-cows

Home | Subject Index | Thread Index